Siberia believed to be site of largest meteor impact on Earth

MOSCOW (CNN) -- On June 30, 1908, an enormous fireball
crashed to the ground in the remote Siberian region of
Tunguska, destroying a huge swath of ancient growth forest.

Russian scientists believe this was the largest meteorite to
fall to Earth in the past 2,000 years.

"A majority of scientists lean toward the theory that it was
a collision from a large interplanetary body," said Professor
Valeri Shuvalov of the Russian Institute of Geosphere
Dynamics.

But the scientists have so far been unable to explain why the
huge interplanetary body did not leave any fragments behind.

The only people to see the massive explosion were the Evenki
people, reindeer herders indigenous to Siberia. They believed
the explosion was caused by a revengeful "lord of thunder."

Regardless, researchers are hoping that the Tunguska event
can help them better prepare for future meteor collisions.

Scientists have charted about 500 meteors near the Earth's
orbit and estimate that 100 of those are potentially
dangerous.

Some scientific ideas to prevent a catastrophic crash
sound much more like something out of a Hollywood movie
script.

Says astrophysicist Mikhail Smirnov of the Russian Institute
of Astronomy: "If we know at least 15 years in advance that
an asteroid will impact with Earth, then we could send an
expedition up to it and redirect its course with the help of
a controlled atomic explosion."